Method of and apparatus for constructing concrete walls



Aug. 31, 1926. 1,598,131

w. D. HAM

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE WALLS l. A W

Aug. 31, 1926. 1,598,131

w. D. HAM

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE WALLS Filed Sept. 22A1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Il' |[l 2 v /z 7 z5 2 25 l. Z ig: Z5

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w. D. HAM

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE WALLS Filed Sept. 22.1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 *rimialm 5T Lr TJ "n (f-@ nnanuununnu Aug. 31,1926. 1,598,131

W. D. HAM

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE WALLS Filed Sept. 22.1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 la; Il,

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Aug. 31, 1926.

1598J3l vm D.+LAM

METHOD OF' AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE WALLS Filed sept. 22.1924 e sheeiS-sheet e Patented ug.-3l, 1926.

UNITED STATES Y 1,598,131 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM DEANE HAM, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA., ASSIGNOB TO THEHAMS METHOD ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF THE DISTRICT Ol' vCORPORATION OFMARYLAND.

COLUMBIA, L

METHOD OF A ND APPARATUS IOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE WALLS.

Application led September 22, 1924. Serial No. 739,189.

The purpose of my invention is to4 provide a method of constructingconcrete'fwalls requiring a small number of interchangeable structuralform elementsy which may be used repeatedly as the work progresses andwhich require a minimum of skill in their manipulation.

The finished walls must be symmetrical, with straight sides and ofuniform thickness. In order to secure this result the mold walls must beheld rigidlv in position and the inner and outer moli Walls must be tiedtogether in a manner that will resist any tendency to separate underreat strains to which they are subjected immediately following thepouring of the concrete.

It has been the common practice to construct tlie mold of lumber, nailedtogether, to form the opposite Walls whichare spaced apart by means ofhollow core separators and drawn together into alinement and-rigidlyheld in place by means of threaded bolts passing through the separators.

The removal of the nailed lumber mold walls andthe withdrawal of thebolts and separators resulted in the defacement of the concrete wallswhich necessitated patching or else left them unsightly in appearance.

The methods heretofore employed in constructing mold walls requiredskilled labor and -first class materials and'necessitated a largewastage of materials as well as the. eX- pcnditure of time and labor inthe removal of the nails and the recutting of the lumber to tit it forsubsequent use.' Furthermore the-bolts and nuts which had been incontact with the cement were either rendered useless or required alarge. amount of time and labor to condition them for subsequent use.

1.1i contrast with these prior methods, my present invention eliminatesall Waste of lumber and enables the builder to produce a true, smoothWall unniarred by bolt holes, oil'sets, or patches.

For the purpose of attaining these desired results I provide strong wireties each electrically welded into an integral loop, capable ofwithstanding great strains and pressures. After the concrete has set andthe mold Walls have been removed, these ties must be removed, orpartially removed and hence it is necessary to use the smallest andsmoothest wire possessing the requisite strength to hold the mold wallsin true position and alinement during the period of heaviest strains, i.e. while the concrete is soft. While these tie wires possess therequisite tensile strength they have no rigidity and hence 1t isnecessary to provide other means f or holding the mold walls in spacedrelation and to prevent inward collapse. For this purpose I providespacer bars to which the spacer elements are pivotally secured in amanner permitting them to be arranged 1n a horizontal lposition withtheirends pressing outwardly a ainst the mold Walls whichvare drawn rm yagainst the spacers as the Wedge pins are driven into the loop ends ofthe Wire ties. i

The horizontal'reinforcing rods are supported upon the spacers andmaintained in .position while the concrete materials are poured into4t-he mold. Immediately after the concrete is poured, the spacer bars arelifted, drawing the inner pivoted ends of the spacers upwardly andcausin them to gradually swing inwardly and fok? down over the bar,.thus permitting the withdrawal of the spacing elements withoutdisturbing the reinforcing rods. As this is done While the concrete issoft and before it has set the concrete will immediately flow into andill gp the interstices left by the spacers and ars.

The concrete when. first poured into the mold is a heavy plasticmaterial and tends to spread the mold walls unless they are rigidly heldin position.' To secure the necessary rigidity I arrange channel bars inpairs upon opposite sides of the mold walls and tie them together bymeans of wall ties consisting of integral wire loops, the ends of whichpass through slots in the channel bars and are made fast by steel Wedgepins. The brace bars are made in unit lengths and are built up to thevarious heights as the walls progress by couplingthem end to end bymeans of short channel shaped coupling bars of slightly smallerdimensions so that they will fit snugly within the channels of the bracebars. Steel Wedge pins driven through registering apertures in theflanges of the bars and coupling members produce very rigid joints, sothat the coupled channel bars constitute in effect a continuous bracemember which holds the sides of the mold Wall rigidly in verticalposition.

To maintain the mold in true alinement Thus I have eliminated the twoprincipal causes ot depreciation heretofore encountered in mold wallwork.

I employ selected boards which are cut accurately to predeterminedthickness and lengths, and correspond in width to the distance betweencenters of the wire loop wall ties which are embedded in the mold boardsby a hammer blow, and this produces a mold having a smooth innersurface. Inasniuch as the form boards, are forced firmly against theends of the spacing elements when the wedge pins are driven into theends of the wire loop ties, the walls molded in accordance with mymethod disclosed herein are very smooth and require no plas'- tering orother finish other than a light rubbing with carborundum brick.

I toughen the libre of the lumber and prevent the moisture in theplastic concrete material from penetrating the pores by soaking thefinished boards in hot oil and then coating them with a composition oftalc powder and soap suspended in water.

lt is necessary oi course, to provide scaffolding' upon either side ofthe walls as they are under process of construction. For this purpose,on one side of the wall I utilize some ot' the same channel brace bars,coupling them together as the work progresses to form the outsideuprights and connect them to the mold wall brace bars by means of otherchannel bars arranged horizontally and secured at their opposite ends tothe brace bars and uprights by wedge pins. This outer series of verticalbars constitute secondary brace members as well as supports for thescaffolding. iUpon these horizontal bars I place some of the boards toform the platform.

Upon the opposite side of the wall I provide a'strong portable andquickly adjustable hanging scaffolding by fastening triangular bracketsto the brace bars to form supports for the ioor boards of the platform.

After the concrete walls have been completed. it is only necessary' todrive out the wedge pins in order to remove the mold boards and thesupporting frame members. After the outer mold walls are removed. theouter end of each wire tie is used for anchors for the brick veneer orother finish or is cut off near the outer surface of the wall inside ofthe wall will then loosen the wire tie so that by using a brace bar as alever, the tie may be pulled inwardly until its outer cut ends have beenbrought to about the middle of the wall. The inner loop end of the tiemay be cut olf flush with the surface of the wall which may there bepainted, leaving no visible sign of the tie or defacement of the wall uon either side.

In the furt 1er description of my method of constructing concrete wallsI shall refer to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a`perspective view of apparatus embodying my invention showing the moldpart-s in position for receiving the concrete material. Figure 2 is aside elevation of a mold wall showing the brace bars and liner bars inposition; Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view on the zigzag line 3 3of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a central longitudinal sectional view of acorner coupling for the liner bars; Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional viewthrough the mold walls, illustrating the spacer elements in bracingposition with the reinforcing rods resting there-on and showing indotted lines, the manner in which the spacers swing downwardly and foldover the spacer bar as it is being removed after the concrete has beenpoured; Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail view showing the spacers arranged inopposed pairs as in Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of thewire loop ties with the wedge pins at each end; Fig. 9 is a verticalsectional view through the walls of a mold .for a thin wall, showing thespacer bar in engagement with one of the walls and showing also one ofthe brace bars broken away to expose one of the wedge pins in the end ofa wire loop tie; Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view on" the line10-10 of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view on the line 11-11 ofFig. 10; Fig. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a wire tiepassing across and imbedded in one of the walls of the mold andprojecting through a slot in a brace bar;

.Fig 13 1s a front elevation of a portion of a brace bar showing theloop end of a wire tie passing through a slot in the bar and a wedge pindriven through the projecting loop end; Fig. 14 is an enlarged detailsection on the line 14-14 of Fig. 3 show ing the manner of securing theliner bars to the brace bars by means of rings and wedge pins; Fig. 15is a sectional view on the line 15-15 of Fig. 14; Fig. 16 is a frontelevation of the abutting ends of two brace bars, showing the cou lingmember which overlaps the joint anc is secured to both bars by wedgepins; Fig. 17 is a transverse section on the line 17-17 of Fig. 16; Fig.

ilO

lil() 18 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 16; Fi 19 is afragmentary side elevation, part y in section showing the manner ofconstructing a scaffold attached at one side to the brace bars of themold Wall; Fig. 20 is a fragmentary transverse sectiona1 view on thezigzag line 20-20 of Fig. 19; Fig. 21 is a side elevation, partly brokenaway showing the triangular racket for a -portable scaffold secured bywedge pins to a brace bar of the mold wall; Fig. 22 is a front elevationof the same; and Fig. 23 1s a detail sectional view on the line 23-23 ofFig. 21. 1

The manner of using the apparatus will be apparent from the drawings.After the footings or foundation 1,' of concrete has been poured intothe trenches and filled to within about one inch of the top, being thewidth of the wall plus the thickness of the two mold boards, I find thelevel at thel four corners, driving strong stakes outside of the wallline and marking the level point on each stake. A fine strong wire 2,such as steel piano wire, is stretched taut between the level .points onthe corner stakes. At intervals of about three feet, pairs of stakes 3,are driven upon opposite sides of the foundation, each pair being tiedtogether by a stout wire 5 having its ends twisted, the wire loop thusformed being twisted as shown at 6, until the wire is taut and rigidlystretched. The stakes are then driven down until the cross wires 5 touchthe leveling wire 2. In this manner I provide a series of supports forthe lower course of mold boards that are level throughout the length ofthe. wall.

After the first course of mold boards 10, are placed in position, I fillthe one inch space below the bottom edge of the boards and the top ofthe footing, with mortar rich in cement and containing hydrated lime orother waterproofing compound thus providing an impervious layer 8,between the soil and the finished wall.

The vertical brace bars 12 of channel shape, are set up in pairs uponopposite sides of the mold. at regular intervals. each pair being tiedtogether by wire loop ties 14 passing between the meeting side edges oftheboards, the loop ends passing through central rectangular holes 15 inthe brace bars. These apertures are cut at exact intervals in the bracebars and the mold boards are equal to exactly correspond in width andtherefore the wire tie passing between the edges of the two mold boardsmust be imbedded as shown in Fig. 12 in the edge of one mold board. Thisis done by a hammer stroke after the mold board has been placed in rigidposition. The mold boards are spaced apart by s acer elements 17 pivotedat their inner en s upon a spacer bar 20. In the construction shown inFig. 1, the

spacers are arranged in pairs, a spacer 17 on each slde of the bar beingcarrled upon the same pivot 18 1n the manner shown 1n Fig.

.7, thus constituting in effect a toggle.' The spacers of each pair aremade of different lengths, so that for thinner walls, either length ofspacers may be used alone as shown in Fig. 9. In the latter figure thespacing elements are arranged singly along the spacer bar, onl onespacer and its washer being carriedy upon a rivet as shown in Fig. 11. I

The spacers are preferably so spaced apart on the bars and positionedwithin the mold that they engage the mold walls at the middle points ofthe boards and at the joints or abutting edges of the boards in themanner shown in Fig. l. Under some conditions I find it desirable toarrange the spacers to press against the opposite mold boards instaggered relation as illustrated in Fig. 5. Again for thin walls thebar may bear against one wall and the spacers against the other as inFig. 9.

After the spacer bars are in position so that the spacers 17 may beswung outwardly and downwardly until they engage and brace the boards,steel wedges 23 are driven through the projecting loop ends of the wireties to draw the brace bars toward each other, the inward movement beingresisted by the spacers and this results in clamping the mold boardsrigidly in vertical alinement between the outside brace bars 'and theinside spacers. As each course of mold boards is placed in position, thereinforcing rods 25 are inserted and laid in the notches or recessedportions 17L in the upper side of the spacers. Vertical reinforcing rods26 are threaded through each of the wire loop wall ties and are tied bymeans of pieces of wire to the horizontal reinforcing rods 25, at theircrossing points.

To maintain the wall in true horizontal -alinement, I connect the bracebars by means of liner bars 27, which may be heavy gas pipes. Theseliner b'arsfare clamped to the race bars by integral rings 28 of highgrade steel possessing greattensile strength,such

,as made from .boiler tubes, the rings being shaped as shown in Figs. 14 and 15. to receive steel wedges 23'which vpass through holes 13 in theopposite Ranges of the brace bars and are driven until the liner barsare brought tight against the flanges. The rectangular holes 13'are cutthroughout the length of the flanges of the brace bars an inch apart oncenters. A sufiicient number of rings 28 are placed upon each liner barand prevented from sliding off by means of half length couplings 30threaded upon the opposite'fends of the'bar. The liner bars may be.coupled at their ends when necessary. In Fig. 4 I have shown fthemanner in which the bars may be coupled at a corner. A tube 27 bent atright angles is telescoped'into the ends of the tubular liner bars andis secured by driving wedge pins 23 throughalining rectangular holes inthe bars and coupling member.

As the Wall progresses upwardly it is necessary to extend the length ofthe vertical brace bars. For this purpose I couple additional bars tothose in place by a coupling which is strong and absolutely rigid andmay be quickly assembled. The coupling member 32 is a short channel barwhich tits snugly between the Hanges of the abutting brace bars and isprovided with rectangular holes in its flanges to aline with those inthe brace bars. When wedges are driven through the alining apertures,preferably from opposite sides in the manner shown in Figs. 16 and 17,the web of the coupling member is forced tightly against the inner sideof the Webs of the bars forming a rigid and strong joint. A centralaperture n 1s provided in the web of the coupling member to permit theinser tion of the loop end of a wire tie when necessary.

n one side of the wall I provide scaffolds constructed from the samechannel -brace bars as are used to brace the mold boards. This isillustrated in Fig. 1. The brace bars forming the outside supports areconnected te the brace bars of the mold wall structure by half lengthbrace bars 12a which are secured at each end lby wedge pins 23, driventhrough alining` holes in thebars. 4To accommodate the wedge pins, whichare rectangular in section, t-he end holes in the bottom of the shortbrace'bars 12 forming the ledge support, are cut withtheir longer axesextending lengthwise of the bar so that they will coincide with those inthe vertical bars, as shown in Figs; 19 and 20. The boards 10a which arelaid upon the ledge support to form the platform of the scaffold may' beold mold boards which have become Worn from repeated use.

Upon the opposite sides of the wall I prefer to provide a portablescaffold constructed in the manner shown in Figs. 21 and 23. Flat steelbands 34 bent into triangular shape and having their meeting ends 34upturned and welded or riveted, serve as brackets to support theplatform boards 10a. One side of cach bracket is positioned within thechannel of a brace bar of the mold wall and keyed therein. rigidly bywedge pins at the upper and lower ends of the bracket. Although thesebrackets provide a support for the platform of/ the scaffold that isabsolutely safe, yet /they may be readily moved from one position toanother as the work progresses.

As soon as the concrete has been poured in any section of the mold thespacers are withdrawn therefrom by lifting the spacci' bars. As shown inFig. 5, when the bars are pulled upwardly, the spacers 17 will rock ontheir pivots, swinging downwardly as the bar is moved upwardly, asindicated in" dotted lines. The spacers are thus readily removed and thesoft concrete is settled into place by means of mallet blows against theoutside of mold walls.

As the wall progresses the wedge pins which hold the bottom sections ofthe brace bars and the liner bars secured thereto; ma be driven out andthese parts together wit the corresponding mold boards, may be removedand immediately used at the top of the mod since all parts areinterchangeable. rlhis process of removing the mold parts from thebottom and using them again at the top may be repeated again and again.This reduces the number of mold parts required in the construction of abuilding and correspondiugly reduces the labor in handling thestructural parts and the amount of material to be transported from placeto place. lVhen the wall has been completed, the remaining portion ofthe mold wal's may be readily dismantled since the entire structure isheld together by the steel Wedge pins. The ends of the tie wires are cutoff and all trace of them is removed from the surface of the wall in themanner previously described.

What I claim is 1. The method of constructing concrete walls whichcomprises tying the mold Walls together against spacing elements,pouring the concrete, and removing said elements while the concrete isin' a plastic state.

2. The method of constructing concrete walls which comprises erectingmold walls upon opposite sides of a series of spacing elements, tyingthe walls together, pouring the concrete, and removing. the spacingelements While the concrete is in a plastic state.

3. The method of constructing concrete Walls which comprises molding theconcrete around wall spacing elements and removing said elements whilethe concrete is in a plastic state.

4. The method of constructing concrete walls which comprises molding theconcrete around wall spacing elements, collapsing said elements andremoving them While the 'concrete is still in a plastic state.

5. A mold for constructing concrete Walls, comprising sectional moldwall elements. and collapsible spacing members removable in theirentirety engaging the opposite inner faces of said wall elements.

G. A mold for constructing concrete Walls, comprising sectional moldwall elements, spacing members removable in their entirety engaging theopposite inner faces of said wall elements, and means for holding saidwall elements in rigid aline'ment against said 130 spacing members.

7. In a mold as set forth in claim 6, said spacing members beingadjustable to pro- Vide for walls of different thicknesses.

8. A mold for constructing concrete Walls, comprising sectional moldwall elements, spacing members removable in their entirety engaging theopposite inner faces of said wall elements, and means holding saidspacing members in spaced vertical relation while the concrete ispoured.

9. A mold for constructing concrete walls, comprising sectional moldwall elements, reinforcing rods extending horizontally in spacedvertical alinement through the mold, collapsible toggle supports forholding said rods while concrete is poured, and means for collapsing andremoving said supports while the concrete is in a plastic state.

10. A collapsible spacer device, which is removable in its entiretyafter the concrete is poured, for holding mold walls in spaced relationto each other prior to and during the pouring of the concrete.

11. A removable spacer bar for holding mold walls in spaced relation toeach other prior to the deposit of wall materials, said bar beingprovided with a plurality of pivotally mounted spacing elements.

12. In a spacer bar as set forth in claim 11, sa'id spacing elementsbeing of varying lengths to 'provide for different thicknesses of walls.

13. A mold for concrete walls, comprising mold boards, spacing membersfor positionling the boards during the pouring of the concrete,- andmeans for removing said spacing elements from the mold while theconcrete is in aplastic state.

14. A mold for concrete walls, comprising mold boards, spacing membersfor positioning the boards during the pouring of the concrete, and meansfor collapsing said spacing elements and removing them from the moldwhile the concrete is in a plastic condition.

15. A brace bar for mold forms, comprising channel bar sections providedwith rectangular openings disposed along its web and side flanges,coupling means having perforated flanges coacting with said bar flangesand fastening means passing through registering openings in the flangesof thecoupling and channel bar sections to lock the sections end to endintoa continuous rigid' .brace member.

v16. A'iframe work for bracing the mold b'oards of a wall mold,comprising a series of upright channel bars spaced at intervals alongthe mold, a second series of channel bars spaced outwardly from the wallin alinement with said first-named series of bars, other channel barsextending horizontally between the bars of the first series and the barsof the second series and having their webs vertical and their oppositeends extending into `the channels of the bars of the respective series,all of said channel bars being provided with rectangular flanges, andwedge pins passing through the aligned perforations in the flanges ofthe vertical bars and the ends of the horizontal bars, the horizontalbars of the bracing serving to support scaffold boards.

17. A mold for constructing concrete walls comprising interchangeablemold -wall elements, collapsible spacing members bearing against theinner faces of said wall elements, upright brace bars provided withperforations and arranged in opposite pairs, integral welded wire loopties having their opposite loop ends protruding through perforations inthe pairs of brace bars and wedge pins driven through said loop ends.

18. A liner barfor vertical mold forms, comprising tubular bar sections,and means for securing the bar sections to the mold forms, comprisingring members surrounding each tubular section, and wedge pins adapted topass through the rings and mold form braces.

19. Means for alining and rigidly holding the mold boards of a wallmold, comprising upright channel bars provided with perforated flangesand arranged in pairs upon opposite sides of the mold and tied together,liner bars extending horizontally between said channel bars upon eachside of the mold, rings surrounding the liner bars and having lateraloffset portions extending between the flanges of said channel bars, andwedge pins passing through said offset portions and alining perforationsin said flanges. 20. Means for a'lining and detachably securing theparts of a wall mold together during the pouring operation, comprisinginterchangeable mold board sections, collapsible spacer membersextending between the inner faces of said mold boards, vertical channelbrace bars provided with perforations in the flanges and web andarranged in pairs upon opposite sides of the mold, integral loop tiewires having their opposite ends protruding through web perforations inthe pairs of brace bars, wedge pins driven through said protruding loopends, liner bars extending horizontally between said channel bars uponeach side of the mold, rings surrounding the liner bars and havinglateral offset portions extending between the flanges of said channelbars, and wedge pins passingv through said ofi'set portions and aliningperforations in said flanges.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. WILLIAM DEANE HAM.

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